Safety and efficiency considerations may require that operating conditions of turbine machines for power plants, mining, oil and gas plants, and other complex machines involving turbines be continuously monitored to detect, as early as possible, indications of possible malfunctions or unwanted process deviations. Any detected malfunction indications should be presented to appropriate personnel to allow making corrective changes in operating parameters, settings, and control adjustments. In case of malfunction, personnel may need to take specific actions and make adjustments as quickly as possible to prevent serious and potentially hazardous conditions.
Most industrial processes involving the use of combustion turbine engines, such as, for example, power generation, mining, oil and gas plants, chemical plants, aircraft, locomotives, or other processes implemented by industrial drives or equipment, utilize hundreds or even thousands of sensors to obtain indications of operating conditions and parameters in real time. In one particular example of an industrial process, combustion turbine equipment in a power plant can be remotely monitored and diagnosed to improve its availability and performance. Monitored data and logs may be collected and stored at a central site for further analysis and display. The central site can utilize a number of rule-based systems to automatically detect malfunctions. Additionally, an operator at the central station can review the data to determine whether the turbine is functioning properly. Typically, the operator utilizes operation manuals and follows specific instructions to ensure proper turbine operation or completion of specific tasks. Operation manuals and instructions can be paper-based or electronic (for example, in the form of human-machine interfaces (HMIs) displayable on a display screen at the central site).
To improve the availability and operation of gas turbine processes, the earliest possible detection of unwanted conditions can be crucial. Early detection may permit appropriate action to be taken to minimize the impact of such conditions and to prevent subsequent damages. Early detection can be achieved through continuous monitoring of various operating parameters and operating conditions of the turbine and associated equipment in real-time. The operator should react very quickly and make early decisions based on established manuals or other instructions in view of currently monitored operating conditions. The requirement for early detection and action can be especially important when deterioration of equipment can happen in relatively short periods of time, which, if left unchecked, can have significant impact on the performance of the turbine and related equipment.